Fate's Fool
by AFatefulAccident
Summary: Season finale continuation, with a slight twist...Okay, more than a slight twist...Angst. LukeLorelai, JJ, Javajunkie, whatever you want to call them.
1. Perfectly Scary

Okay, so this story was inspired by the fact that I am dying without new Gilmore Girls and for some reason, I love to write angst. So this is a nice angsty story about what I don't want to happen after the finale, but I wrote it down anyways. I'm not sure if it should be a one-parter or not, I'll let ya'll decide.

Disclaimer: Not mine. If they were, the dream in the season three premier wouldn't have been a dream. They belong to Amy Sherman-Pallidino…and I'm sure I spelled that wrong, but yea.

* * *

"_Luke, will you marry me?"_

"_What?"

* * *

_

"Will you…"

A look of horror suddenly crossed Lorelai's features.

"Oh God, what am I doing? Things are really good between us. Great really. We've finally found our niche. We fit together as girlfriend and boyfriend. The town has finally quit talking about ribbons. You got me a TV. And then here I go, waltzing in here, a wreck, and you do what you always do and be the greatest boyfriend ever and try to help me figure out how to get Rory back, even if your ideas are a little unorthodox, and I suddenly have an epiphany and decided I'm going to screw up a good thing and ask you to marry me. Please, just forget that this ever happened."

She had stood up and was heading to the door when Luke finally spoke up.

"So the offer's off the table?"

Lorelai paused, her hand on the doorknob. Something in Luke's voice made her turn around. He had sounded…_disappointed._

She turned slowly, trying to figure out if she had just imagined the tone, if her mind had added the inflection she desperately wanted to hear, but no. When she met Luke's eyes, she was sure she had heard right. He looked so sad, just standing there in the middle of his diner, his brow creased as he waited for her answer.

And right then, more than ever before, she knew that the offer would never be off the table, that she would always want to be with Luke, marry Luke, and become Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap.

She took a deep breath.

"Do you want it off?"

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see whatever inner struggle was going on within Luke as he tried to come up with an answer. All she knew was that whatever he said, she knew that eventually, she would marry this man, even if it took 50 years.

She heard him shuffling around, but waited another minute to see if he would answer her before opening her eyes.

"Oh my God."

Sitting in front of her on the table was a dark blue coffee mug, not unlike the ones she drank out of every day. But what made it so different were the words painted in bright pink cursive along the side.

_Will you marry me, Crazy Lady?_

And tied to the handle of the mug with a piece of white ribbon was an antique platinum engagement ring.

She looked up at Luke, shock still evident on her face. He gave her an unsure smile.

"Does this answer your question?"

She nodded mutely and tried to untie the ribbon, but her hands were shaking too much.

"Here"

Luke's gruff voice came from over her shoulder.

"Let me"

His arms slid around her waist from either side and his large hands deftly pulled the string as the ring fell into his palm. He then grabbed her hips and turned her around to face him.

"Lorelai Gilmore, will you marry me?"

She nodded, and he smiled the first real smile since she had come into the diner as he slid the ring onto her finger.

"I've had it behind the counter for a month, waiting for the right time. I was going to give it to you…"

He was cut off by the kiss Lorelai pressed to his lips, one that reminded him of their first kiss, over a year before. When everything was new and they were both unsure about the future, but both knew that the present, in that moment, was perfect and meant to be.

* * *

That had been four months ago.

Now, Lorelai was sitting on a trans-Atlantic flight to London, most of her possessions in the 5 people-sized suitcases in the cargo bay of the plane. In her hand she had Mike Armstrong's card with the number she was supposed to contact him with when she got to her hotel. They had been in the air for about 5 hours now, and Lorelai had yet to anything more than look out the window. The passenger next to her, a dark-haired woman in her early sixties, was trying to think of a way to strike up conversation when Lorelai let out a loud sigh and she saw her chance.

"I know that sigh."

"Huh?"

Lorelai had been lost in her own thoughts and had barely registered there was a person next to her; much less that she had started a conversation. She tried to go back to staring out the window listlessly, hoping the woman would take the hint that she didn't want to talk to anyone, but the lady was stubborn and refused to give up.

"Hi. I'm Melissa Monty. I was just commenting on how sad you sound. In my opinion, that's the sigh of a broken heart."

That got Lorelai's attention. She thought she was pretty good at hiding her true feelings, but obviously she was failing miserably. She gave the woman a watery smile, wanting her to continue.

"I'm Lorelai Gilmore. And about your observation, you might say that."

The lady now loosened her seatbelt and turned to face her, nodding understandingly.

"Just tell Melissa your problems. I'm a good listener. Did he cheat? Not want to commit? Just leave altogether?"

Lorelai shook her head sadly.

"None of the above. You might say that my heartbreak is…self-inflicted."

Melissa frowned at this. Lorelai couldn't be more than 40, and yet her deep blue eyes had the worn look of someone much older, who had a difficult life. She was a beautiful woman, and Melissa couldn't imagine why she would be so…down on herself.

"Did you cheat on him? If so, I'm sure you had a good reason. Women don't cheat on their men without reason, that's the man's job. My first husband, Stewart, he was the laziest many you'll ever meet this side of the Pacific Ocean. He wouldn't even get out of his chair to come to bed. So, naturally, a woman has to…"

She stopped when she saw Lorelai shaking her head, a slight smile on her face.

"I didn't cheat. There was no reason. Luke was…no is…perfect for me."

She felt the prickle of tears and tried to keep her voice steady.

"He sat there and waited for me for 8 years while I dated one wrong guy after the other. And then, when I did realize it, he was the most perfect boyfriend…He would do anything for me, even when I was dating someone else, he fixed every single thing in my house twice, he made me dinner practically every night, he kept up with my crazy train of thought most of the time, and he was just…he understands me, and I know I can trust him more than anyone else. Plus, he's gorgeous. Tall, muscular, tan…"

Her eyes clouded over in thought, and Melissa let her stay that way for a full minute, very generous, she thought, before finally growing impatient.

"Well Hun, I just don't get it. What's the problem then?"

Lorelai reached into her shirt and drew out a silver chain from around her neck that Melissa hadn't noticed before. And at the end of the chain hung an exquisite antique engagement ring. It looked very old but well taken care of and by the look in Lorelai's eyes, well loved.

Lorelai watched it swing gently infront of her face for a moment before finally turning to Melissa, the tears finally winning the battle as they slid down her cheeks.

"I got scared"

* * *

Okay, should I end it now, or keep going? I have an idea about what I would do if I continued, but let me warn you, it would be nice and angsty before it got better. So yea…hit the purple-blue button! 


	2. Hidden Meanings

Thanks for all the sweet reviews! Here's the next part…Enjoy!

Disclaimer- I don't own 'em

* * *

Lorelai had been in Paris for 3 months now, and she loved it. Or, at least, she pretended to love it. It wasn't that Paris wasn't beautiful, because it was. It wasn't that she wasn't enjoying her job, because she was. No, it was because Paris didn't have a Doose's Market or an Al's Pancake World that didn't sell pancakes. It didn't have a grumpy diner owner with a weird obsession for flannel and an ultimate goal to stop Lorelai from drinking coffee. It didn't have that same diner owner who had asked her to marry him on the side of a coffee cup.

But she wouldn't admit this to anyone. As far as all her new friends went, they thought she had never been happier. All except Melissa. For some reason, this mysterious woman from South Carolina had been able to see through Lorelai's façade from the start, and could tell that she was unhappy. They had continued their weekly lunches at the café and Melissa had continued to be a good listener for all of Lorelai's problems.

They were at one of these lunches, waiting for their check, when Melissa spoke up.

"Have you talked to him since you left?"

The question caught Lorelai off-guard. Melissa usually let Lorelai bring up Luke or they would talk hypothetically. She had never brought him up herself, and Lorelai liked that.

"I…um…no, I've talked to Sookie though, and she usually tells me about him."

_Then again, she hasn't mentioned him the last few times I've called…hmm, probably just doesn't want to bring up old problems._

Melissa nodded.

"Why don't you ever call him? I'm sure he would want to talk to you."

Lorelai was shaking her head even before Melissa had finished her sentence.

"No, no, no. I can't talk to him. It's…It would be too difficult. I wouldn't be able to…he would ask questions I couldn't answer."

"How do you know hun? You don't know that he doesn't understand why you left…why you really left. If he knows you as well as it sounds he does, I'll bet my bottom dollar that he knows you didn't leave because you wanted to be single. Give him a chance. I'm sure he'd surprise you."

Lorelai just gave her a slight smile, her thoughts on the day 3 months earliershe had left Luke with nothing more than a note…

* * *

**Flashback**

It was early. The sky was still dark and Lorelai had to use a lamp to see what she was writing. Luckily, Luke had already left for his early deliveries, so she didn't have to worry about waking him with her sobs as she haltingly wrote the note she would leave for him, careful to not let her tears blur the script. She knew that this was wrong, that she shouldn't leave Luke like this, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. If she tried to tell him in person, she wouldn't be able to leave.

_No, this is the only way._

When she finished the note, she looked over it once more, making sure it sounded like something Luke would believe.

_Dear Luke,_

_I know this isn't the way to do this, but I don't think I could do it any other way. I know there's no way for me to make you understand this, but I have to take this job offer. I went right from pre-teen to mother, never getting to enjoy just being an adult. This is my chance. I know I should have told you this earlier, but I just realized it as I planned our…while I was planning. You are the absolute best boyfriend a girl could ask for, and I know you will probably never forgive me for this, but I hope you will at least understand that this is something I have to do for myself. I'm leaving for London today and I'll probably be back in a couple of months. I'll talk to Sookie, and you can find anything out from her, since I don't think I'll be your favorite person after you read this. See you soon!_

_-Lorelai_

She shook her head. It didn't matter how many times she re-wrote it, she knew Luke would be able to see right through her feeble excuses and know that she was just afraid. He had known her for too long. Loved her for toolong.

_Well, by the time he gets this, I'll be on a plane to London and there won't be a thing he can do about it._

She looked at her finger. She knew that she should leave the ring, after all, it was Luke's mom's, but she couldn't bear to take it off. Luke had put it on her finger 4 months ago, and she didn't plan on taking it off any time soon, no matter what she said in a stupid letter.

She sighed as she picked up her last bag and loaded it into the van that she had gotten to pick her up. She wouldn't be back for at least a couple of months, maybe longer. She wouldn't see Luke for as long. Hopefully, by the time she came back, she would have her life figured out. If she didn't, well, she'd figure out what to do from there.

With one last look at the Crap Shack, Lorelai wiped a tear from her cheek and opened the passenger door, telling the driver to go. She had to get away.

**End Flashback**

**

* * *

**

Back in Stars Hollow, Luke was wiping down the counter after the dinner rush, trying to keep his mind off of _her._

She had left in the morning after he had already left for the diner, not even bothering to say goodbye. All he had found when he got to her house that night was an empty closet and a note.

He sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper. Not that he actually needed to read it, by the 5th time he had had it memorized. Basically, it said that Lorelai wanted to be single for a while, wanted to explore her options. She didn't want to be in a serious realationship with Luke, and that hurt.

He hated how she had ended the letter, so impersonal. She hadn't even written Love Lorelai, just Lorelai. It was like she was writing to an old friend, not her fiancée…or ex-fiancée. Were they broken up? She had left him, but she had kept the ring. She wanted to be a single adult, but she called him the best boyfriend ever.

Luke sighed. He just didn't know what to think about their relationship. But he did know why Lorelai had done it. It wasn't because she wanted to be a single adult with nothing holding her in one place, hadn't she said numerous times to him that all she wanted was 'The whole package'?

_No, she just got scared._

And just because he knew the real reason, didn't mean he liked it.

Luke had known when he started dating Lorelai that she had commitment issues, but he had hoped that their relationship would be different. He had been wrong. The only thing that could tie Lorelai down was her daughter, and now that they weren't speaking, she had nothing left.

_She had me_

Luke shook his head as he headed up the stairs to his apartment. Apparently he hadn't been good enough to stick around for.

* * *

That night, Lorelai sat in her apartment, staring at the phone. She had gotten home around 4 and since then had done nothing more than stare at the phone or pick it up and start dialing, only to slam it down moments later. She couldn't make herself call him no matter how much she wanted to hear his voice because she dreaded hearing the disappointment she knew would be there.

So instead she called another familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Sookie? Hey! It's me"

"Lorelai! How are you? Hold on just a minute."

She heard Sookie talking to Jackson.

"No, Jackson, I need you to take Kaylee. I'm trying to talk to Lorelai. Yeah, Davey's already in bed. No, you can't…yeah, just give her the bottle, I'll be in there in a few minutes."

Lorelai smiled into the phone. Sookie was such a good mom.

"Hey, okay, I'm back."

"Sure you can talk? You sound pretty busy…"

"No, we're still getting used to having two kids, that's all. It's really different."

"Yeah, I wouldn't know what you're talking about, but you seem to be doing a good job."

"Thanks sweetie. So what's up with you?"

She sighed.

"Nothing much. Mike's having me do a lot of work, but it's good, because it keeps my mind off of…things"

"So you haven't talked to him? I mean…you haven't talked to Luke" She added, as if she needed to clarify who she was talking about.

Lorelai smiled in spite of herself.

"No Sookie, I haven't talked to him. I can't bring myself to dial his number."

"Aww, I'm sorry. Have you heard anything about him lately. I mean, from other people in the town. Anything about how he's doing?"

Sookie's tone was sympathetic, but Lorelai noticed something else in it as well.

"No…Sookie are you hiding something from me?"

"No…I mean, of course not…Why would I…" she gave a nervous cough, "I wouldn't hide something from you."

Now Lorelai knew Sookie was definitely not telling the truth.

"Sookie, what do you know about Luke? Is it something important? You need to tell me Sook. I need to know."

Her voice was rising slightly. She was panicing. What if Luke had been hurt while she was gone? How would she ever know?

_Oh I was so stupid to leave. Why'd I leave?_

She was jostled out of her thoughts by Sookie's high pitched voice.

"No no Lorelai, its nothing like that. I mean, it's just…I've heard that he's…thathesdatingsomeoneelse."

Lorelai looked at the phone quizzically as if it could give her some answers as to how to understand what Sookie had just said.

"Huh? Sook, Hun, you're gonna have to talk slower than that if you want someone to understand you."

She could hear Sookie take a deep breath across the Atlantic ocean.

"I heard…that he's dating someone…"

If Sookie had said anything else, Lorelai didn't hear it. She had dropped the phone onto the couch the moment she heard that sentence.

_Dating someone? Not Luke…He…we're engaged…he waited 8 years…_

She considered asking Sookie if she was feeling okay, if maybe she had imagined the fact that Luke was dating, but she knew that it was the truth. Sookie wouldn't hurt her like this for a joke. She knew how much Luke meant to her.

It was only when she heard Sookie's tiny voice eminating from the dropped phone, screaming her name, that she jumped back into reality.

"Lorelai! Lorelai! Are you there! Lore…"

"Hey Sook, no I'm here."

"Oh thank God. I thought you might have fainted or something. Look sweetie, I'm sorry…I just thought you'd want to know…"

"Yea..I…Thanks for telling me Sookie. I'm gonna go to bed now. I'll call you tomorrow…Bye."

"Bye…"

After she hung up, all Lorelai could do was stare at the phone. It wasn't until she felt the tear hit her hand that she realized she was crying.

_I left him. I left him with nothing more than a note. He has the right to move on. He probably thinks I have, what with that note I left._

But Luke wasn't supposed to believe the note. He was supposed to know she was scared and wait for her to get over her fears. He wasn't supposed to move on. Not after everything they had been through. Everything they were planning on doing.

That night, as she lay in bed, trying to sleep between fits of sobs, one thought stuck in her head.

_It's my fault.

* * *

__­­­­_­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Okay, there's the next part. Sorry it took so long, but I had a lot more problems than I thought I would trying to write this. Hope you enjoyed it…I'll try to get the next part up soon, but don't hold your breath, cuz I can't afford to be sued. Review!


	3. Home is Where the Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em…wish I did...

Author's Note: So yeah, sorry its been way too long, but I got busy and then I had school and I finally decided to continue it, even though the new season has already started…And yes I know Sookie's kid's name is Martha, but since I already called her Kaylee, I figured I'd just stick with it so it doesn't screw up the continuity of the story. So yeah…here's the next part, hope ya like it, Leave some reviews please and I'll try to get the next part up semi-soon.

* * *

As Sookie hung up the phone, she asked herself if she had done the right thing. Yes, Lorelai deserved to know about Luke dating someone, but maybe it would have been better if Sookie had told her the whole truth, not just enough to get her to come home.

_Then again, I don't want it to be me who she blames for it…What am I talking about…Lorelai's my best friend, she deserves to know what she's coming back to…_

Sookie was about to pick up the phone and call Loreali back when Jackson walked in with Kaylee.

"So you talked to her?"

Sookie nodded as she took her daughter from Jackson.

"Yeah, but I only told her Luke was dating someone else….I didn't say who or anything like that…"

"Sookie!"

Jackson gave her a disapproving look.

"You should have told her everything…she deserves to know…"

Sookie's anger finally erupted and she interrupted Jackson in a harsh whisper so as to not wake the baby.

"Deserves to know what? That Luke is back with the one girl who he could actually love more than Lorelai, the first girl that he ever loved, the girl who broke his heart, the girl who he waited on and dated for years and years?"

Jackson nodded.

"Yes, she deserves to know that. As it is, she's coming in here thinking that whoever Luke is dating is just some woman. If she knew it was Rachel…she should be prepared."

Jackson handed the phone back to Sookie.

"Call her, tell her everything."

"Everything? Even…"

"Yes Sookie, Lorelai should know that Luke has a son."

* * *

Luke was in his apartment, watching Hunter sleep. Hunter, his son Hunter. A son he didn't even know he had until Rachel had showed up in town a month ago with the 4 year old in tow. She said she had heard that he and Lorelai had broken up, and had decided that now was the time to tell him that when she had left years ago, she hadn't been alone. Hunter had been born in India where Rachel was doing a photo shoot for a magazine. As soon as he was born, anyone who knew Luke could tell Hunter was his son. The little boy had dark hair, curly like Rachel's but the same color as Luke's, and his eyes were the same light blue as his father's. AS soon as Rachel's parents had seen their grandson, they knew that he could only be a product of "that nice boy you used to date in high school". They had insisted she needed to tell Luke, saying it was his right to know, but by the time she had gotten up the courage to ask, Luke was married to Nicole.

At this point in Rachel's story, Luke had asked how she had found out all this stuff about his life while living hundreds of miles away. Rachel had told him that she was exchanging emails with Kirk, the only person she trusted with her secret because he had no friends to tell.

But then she had heard he had broken off his engagement with Lorelai, or she had broken it off with him, and Rachel had taken the first plane to Hartford. She decided it was now time for Luke to meet his son.

And that was how Luke now came to be standing over a 4 year-old replica of himself, sleeping in Jess' old bed. The little boy had known who he was as soon as he saw him because apparently Rachel had shown him pictures of his dad frequently. And while Hunter was still shy around him, he was beginning to warm up and had even called Luke dad on occasion.

Rachel and he had fallen into their old ways, finding comfort in the past and the way they used to date and love each other. They had been in town for a couple of months now, and Luke had finally convinced Rachel to move into the apartment with him instead of staying at a hotel. He was happy she had said yes. Now he got to see his little boy whenever he wanted, he could watch him sleep, watch him wake up…It was so amazing to Luke that him and Rachel had created this perfect little person, it almost made him forget how much he had wanted a child with someone else. Almost.

* * *

Sookie couldn't do it. She tried to pick up the phone again and again, but she couldn't make herself hurt Lorelai like that. And hurt Loreali it would. Sookie couldn't imagine what she would think if she found out Jackson had an illegitimate child with an old girlfriend and because Sookie had left, the girlfriend felt now was a good time to tell him. She couldn't imagine coming home to find Jackson living a life he had always wanted, even if it was with the wrong girl. Lorelai would be devastated, and Sookie couldn't force herself to be the one to do that to her friend. At least not until Lorelai was home in Stars Hollow where Sookie could make sure she didn't do anything stupid.

So that's why she found herself pacing her front porch, glancing anxiously at Main Street for the cab that would signify Lorelai's arrival. She had called earlier to say she was at the airport and getting a cab to bring her to Stars Hollow. She had wanted to go straight to Luke's and "kick some flannel-stealing booty", but Sookie had convinced her to stop by and see Kaylee and talk with her a little more first. She had decided that while she hadn't wanted to tell Lorelai about Luke over the phone, she had to do it before she walked into the diner to be greeted by her ex-fiancée and his instant family. Being a best friend sucked sometimes.

* * *

She was back. After almost 5 months away, she was finally home. She would have been home sooner, but she had to wait for Mike to get a replacement for her and it had taken almost 2 months to find another woman who wanted to get away from her old life. Lorelai would have warned her to stick it out with her significant other, but she needed to get home and this lady was her ticket out.

Stars Hollow looked the same. The one stop light was still needlessly there, the gazebo still sat in the center of town; they were setting up for another festival. Lorelai thought for a second…It was February, meaning it was the Valentine's Day carnival. She had always liked this festival, it was all pink and red and last year she had even convinced Luke to go on the spinning heart ride with her. Of course he had complained the whole time, but Lorelai knew that he was really enjoying himself.

Thinking of Luke made her glance at the diner. It looked the same too, but Lorelai knew that the person inside of it was different. If he was dating someone else, if he had truly given up on them, then she didn't know what to expect.

As the cab pulled up in front of Sookie's house, she could see her best friend pacing. It was good to see that some people stayed the same.

"Long time no see."

"Do…Wha…Huh? Lorleai! OMG Loreali!"

"Sookie! It's so good to see you!"

The women hugged and Sookie began to lead Loreali into the house.

"You won't believe how big Kaylee has gotten. She's crawling around like crazy and Jackson's already way over protective…He won't even let her have play dates with other boys."

Lorelai smiled as she was led into the house. It was obvious having two kids was a handful by the state of the living room. Toys and games were strewn out over the floor and Lorelai wasn't sure where the couch ended and the mound of toys began. Sitting in the middle of the wreckage were two little mounds.

"Davey, look who came to visit! It's auntie Loreali"

"Hey Davey!"

Lorelai reached down and picked up the smiling toddler as Sookie swooped down on the other child.

"Wow…she has gotten so big!"

Sookie smiled down at the little girl in her arms. She was all rosy cheeks and big brown eyes. She was like a mini Sookie with a splash of Jackson.

"Yeah, and she loves Davey."

"I bet"

Lorelai smiled down at the little boy in her arms, trying not to imagine whether she and Luke might have been expecting one of these if she had stuck around.

She pictured a little blue-eyed boy with Luke's smile and her dark blue eyes. In her mind he was wearing a little plaid flannel shirt and a dark blue baseball cap that hid all but his longest curls from view. She let herself have this fantasy for a bit longer until Jackson came to get the kids for lunch and her and Sookie sat down on the invisible couch.

Lorelai decided to skip all pretenses of conversation.

"So what's she like?"

"Huh?"

Sookie wasn't expecting Lorelai to start right in on the dreaded topic, but it seemed Lorelai had other ideas.

"Well…um..okay honey, don't be mad…"

"What? Oh gosh, she's pretty isn't she? She's pretty and nice and likes sports and outdoors and flannel and fishing…"

"Now wait wait a second…She…well, you could say she's Elle MacPherson pretty…"

"Elle Mac…Oh my god…it's Rachel."

Sookie watched as her friend's face fell, knowing that what she had to tell her next would hurt her even more.

"There's more"

Lorelai suddenly flashed back to that night Luke had told her he was married and he had kept saying there's more. Only here, Lorelai couldn't figure out what more Sookie could possibly say.

"He's…Rachel came back with a boy."

"Wha…huh?"

"Rachel was…she was pregnant hun, when she left 4 years ago, she took Luke's son with her."

"Luke has a son? No, he can't. He can't have a son with her…We're engaged…"

Sookie looked at her friend in despair. If only she could get her to understand.

"Lorelai, you left him. You left him with a note. In his mind, the engagement was over. I know, he came over to my house a lot in the next couple of weeks. He didn't understand why you had left. It tore him up inside Lorelai. And then Rachel came back into town with his son…He has a son. And he's adorable. He's like a mini Luke."

Sookie stopped when she saw Lorelai's face. Her best friend looked so broken up inside, the only person it reminded her of was Luke when Lorelai had left him.

"I…I have to go."

Lorelai stood up and headed to the door, and by the time Sookie had gotten to the porch, she had disappeared around the corner towards her house.

* * *

She made it a block before she had to stop. She couldn't breath; air wasn't getting into her lungs. She felt like her whole world had come crashing down around her. In a way, it had. Her fiancée was a father and dating someone else. Maybe the only person he loved more than her. And she was scared. Scared she would loose him. Scared she already had.

* * *

So yeah, there's the next part…hope it wasn't too angsty, and if it was, I really don't care, cuz I like angst and if no one likes it, then I'll just stop writin…but I hope you liked it…leave a review! 


	4. Boxes

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em…yadda yadda yadda…

A/N: Thank you so much for all the supportive reviews, I was kinda not happy when I posted that last part, so sorry for my bad mood. Here's the next part, hope you enjoy it, I know it's a little short, but yeah, I'm doing it instead of doin homework, so gimme a little leeway.

* * *

When Lorelai finally made it home, she was surprised to find that her house was different. It wasn't the same house she had left5 months ago. It took her one glance around her bedroom to figure out what was wrong. It seemed that Luke had packed up all his stuff that he had ever left in her house, even before they began dating, and had completely de-luked every room, including the garage. Not one piece of flannel or one spatula was left. As soon as Loreali realized this, she lost all self control she had finally gained and collapsed onto her perfectly made bed, something else he had done before leaving. As her vision blurred, she noticed a box in the corner of the room and, thinking it was a box Luke it had forgotten, ran to open it. It took her a moment to realize that it wasn't a box of Luke's stuff, but a box of hers. 

There was the coffee mug she always left in his apartment, there was the blue flannel she always slept in, and there were a few random pieces of jewelry that she had apparently left there. Every piece of her that had been at Luke's was packed into one cardboard box and stuffed in a corner of her room, forgotten. That was when it really hit her. Luke had moved on. He was over her. She had run away, thinking that Luke would always be there when she got back, but he wasn't.

* * *

When Lorelai woke up the next morning, she knew she had to go talk to Luke. She had to know what he was thinking, how he was reacting to having a child, and if it was really and truly over between them. 

As she walked to the diner, she went over in her head how she would start the conversation. She figured "hey" wouldn't be good enough, seeing as she left him with a note for5 months and he now had a girlfriend and son. Then again, what would be good enough? She figured, "hey, I was the stupidest person alive, please leave your four-year-old son and girlfriend to be with me" wouldn't be any better. When she got near the diner, she could feel her heartbeat grow faster. Whether he hated her or not, it was still Luke, and they were still engaged, at least in her mind.

As she walked in front of the windows surrounding the diner, she glanced inside and stopped in her tracks. There was Luke, standing behind the counter helping a little boy build a fort with some old Legos. Although seeing Luke was exactly how she had imagined it, it was the little boy that took her breath away. He _was _Luke. Or a younger Luke. He was the boy she had imagined whenever she pictured her and Luke having a baby. He had the same blue eyes as Luke, clear as day and always sparkling. His hair was the same as Luke's as well, except for the crazy curls that seemed to go every which way at once. He was even wearing a Star War's t-shirt as far as Lorelai could tell.

And Luke's face. The only way she could describe it was utter contentedness. He watched the little boy with fascination, hanging on his every word. He was happy. Happier than she had ever seen him. Maybe happier than he had ever been with her. All she knew was that, seeing him there with that little boy, the ache in her chest became unbearable and she wanted to run away. But she had done enough running. It was time to face her fears.

* * *

When the bell above the door rang, Luke paid it little attention. Hunter was explaining how to build a house using only the blue Legos and Luke was enchanted. Not so much with the blue Lego house, but with the little boy. He was so smart and adorable; he was a whole little person with his own ideas and personality. It wasn't until he realized the diner had gotten quiet that he looked up into the eyes of the one person he never expected to see in here again. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold and her eyes sparkled, but her frown gave her true feelings away. 

"Lore…"

"Lu…"

They both smiled slightly before Luke remembered the last 9 months and all the pain she had put him through.

"Hey"

"Hi"

Luke didn't want to talk to her, not now, not in front of Hunter.

"Hey buddy, why don't you go upstairs and help mommy make lunch?"

"K daddy. Can I bring my Legos?"

"Sure bud. Here, lemme help you put them in a box."

Lorelai watched as Luke helped the little boy carefully put his half built house into a shoebox and point him to the stairs.

"I'll be up in a minute."

Once the boy was gone, Luke turned to Lorelai.

"Want to go outside?"

She nodded and he led her to the door, pulling on his jacket as he walked.

As they walked to the gazebo, Lorelai began to despise the silence and had to break it.

"So…he's adorable."

"Yeah…he is. I love him, which is strange, seeing as how I've only known him for a few months…who told you?"

"Sookie, but I kinda wished it was you"

"Yeah well, I kinda wished I had heard about where you went from you, but hey, whatever."

"Luke, I…"

"No Lorelai, you might have come to talk to me, but I want to get this out, and seeing as how it was you who left me, I think I should have that privilege."

Lorelai nodded mutely, starting to regret confronting him like this.

"You hurt me. You hurt me worse than any person has ever hurt me before. We were engaged and you just left. You can't have expected me to wait forever for you. I did that once and look how it turned out. I loved you Lorelai, but a relationship can't be built on one person's feelings. We dated for over a year, we were engaged, but you never once said I love you. Then after you left, I figured you never were in love. You just felt everything slipping away and decided you couldn't handle that. After a couple months, when I figured out you weren't coming back, I went to your house and packed up all my stuff and did the same with my apartment. That's when I was sure. I had to pack up ten boxes of my stuff from your house, clothes, bathroom things, personal items. But I only had one box of your things to pack up. One box. It was a box of nick-nacks and insignificant items that you only left there out of necessity or forgetfulness. I was more invested in this relationship than you were."

"Luke, no…"

"I'm not done. Then Rachel came into town with Hunter. And she offered everything you wouldn't or couldn't. She loves me and we have Hunter together. She isn't commitment-phobic and she doesn't run away when things get tough. You and me…we may have been good for a while. Great even, but we just don't belong together, not in the end."

* * *

_No no no no_

Lorelai was screaming in her head for him to take back the words, to take back everything he said, but she knew it was true, at least from what he knew, and before she could say anything, he was gone.

He had walked away, back to the diner and his loving girlfriend and adorable son.

* * *

When she got home, the first thing Lorelai did was to go get the box out of her room and try to stuff it into the top of the downstairs closet. It didn't work, however, because something was already at the top of the closet. On closer inspection, she realized it was another box filled with pictures. When she pulled it down, she saw it was pictures of her and Luke with a note stuck to the top. 

_Lorelai-_

_Wasn't sure what I should do with these, so I stuck them up here. Didn't want you to come home to a messy house and figured you didn't want any reminders- I took a few, but left most of them_

_-Luke_

After looking through them, she noticed that some of her favorites were missing, pictures of her and Luke at the diner and some of the festivals she had drug him to; including the one Rachel had taken of them. Just thinking of Rachel made Lorelai frown. She knew it wasn't Rachel's fault her and Luke were over, but Lorelai couldn't help but wonder that maybe if Rachel hadn't come back with Hunter, her and Luke would have at least had a chance.

The picture of them when they had babysat for Jackson and Sookie was also gone…_hmm…maybe he wanted to show Rachel he could handle kids_…

Lorelai slammed the box closed and shoved it to the bottom of the closet so she could put the other box up top. It was time to move on, close the Luke box that had been open for years and open a new box. A better box.

_The only problem is that there probably isn't a better box. Luke is it for me, I know it now and I should have known it when I left._

Lorelai decided to ignore the little voice in her head. There had to be a guy out there better than Luke. She didn't know what she would do if there wasn't.

* * *

When Luke got back to the diner after his talk, or more like vent, to Lorelai, he found Caesar was handling everything and went upstairs. There he found Rachel with Hunter eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She looked up when he walked in and gave him a sad smile. 

"Hunter said a pretty brown-haired lady was downstairs. She's back isn't she? She heard about us and came running back. Hunter and I should go; we can stay at the motel now."

Rachel started to get up, but Luke put his hand on her arm to stop her.

"No Rach, Lorelai and I are over. I told her that when she came over. It's me and you now. We have Hunter…we're a family."

Luke looked at her with pleading eyes and Rachel nodded slowly. Luke had picked her. He had picked her over Lorelai.

As Rachel went to throw her napkin away, she wished she could feel some victory in this, but all she felt was sadness. She knew Luke was in love with Lorelai, she had known it 4 years ago when she left with their son unknowingly in tow. The fact that Luke had chosen to be with them instead of Lorelai only confirmed what she had known the first second she met him, that Luke was a good man, one of the few really good ones, and he wouldn't abandon them for anything in the world, even true love.

* * *

There ya go, the next part…Leave me some reviews! And please, no mean things…I got my first flamer ever, foroneof my otherfics, and yeah, I learned that I really don't take criticism well…so yeah, I'm eternally grateful to everyone who has been reviewing so far, but if anyone else has something else to say that isn't very nice, just please don't tell me and just don't read my fics anymore…please…thanks! 


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